Evan Stiles, 4, covers his nose to delay his nasal flu shot from Sandy Matuszak, a nurse at the Prevea Health Center in De Pere on Friday.

Written by

As a nurse who has spent more than 30 years taking care of people, Becky Hovarter is doing something she has never done before: turning patients away.

Under new regulations, public health departments can no longer use federal funds to provide free or discounted immunizations to someone whose health insurance covers the same service in a doctor's office.

Health officials in the Green Bay area say the change is a dramatic break from tradition and that it could lead to fewer people getting immunized, especially children and senior citizens. ...